The bosses of the Canadian and the players of the club do not see the coming season in the same way.
On this back-to-school day for the Canadian, Monday, as part of the team’s traditional golf tournament, the team leaders took turns repeating more or less sexy words like patience, progress and reconstruction. Jeff Gorton even joked that he wasn’t going to say the P-word, “playoffs,” in order to avoid having to talk about the dream of a playoff berth.
But there are players who have done it for him.
“A playoff berth is definitely our goal for the season,” forward Josh Anderson said. We want to be in the column of clubs with a winning record this season. It’s been two long years since we’ve been in the playoffs, and it’s ugly to have to finish the season so early, and then have to watch the other clubs that are still playing on TV. As a player, playoffs are always the goal. »
A little later, Mike Matheson also made the same comments, about an immediate future which would perhaps be brighter than what the team’s leaders may suggest.
“There is this realistic look at the state of things that management must sometimes have, noted the Quebec defender. It is management’s job to take a step back to assess things and make decisions that will be good for the team, now and in the future. But that’s not our job, the players; our job is to be the best we can every chance we get to play a game.
“It’s an incredible privilege to play in this league, even more so to play for this team. This is an occasion that is truly special for us. So we can’t take that for granted, whether starting a season or a match. You have to push yourself every day to become better, and come in every day expecting to win, not throwing in the towel because you have to think about the development of the team. »
This call for patience from the Canadiens’ decision-makers comes as the club attempts to recover from a disastrous 2022-2023 season. The Montreal team, as we recall, concluded the last NHL schedule with a record of 31-45-6, for a total of only 68 points, and an average of .415.
This very modest harvest allowed the Canadian to finish the season in 28th place in the overall league standings. Only the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks have done worse.
But on this sunny Monday morning at a Laval golf club, such details were not going to spoil the great optimism displayed by the Canadiens players.
In September, after all, everyone can dream of something. Even a place in the playoffs.
“I think we are capable of doing damage,” added John Anderson. We will have to make sure to stay healthy, and also make sure to have a good start to the season. »